islet

[ ahy-lit ]

noun

1. a very small island.

adjective

1. Anatomy. situated in or pertaining to the islet of Langerhans:

   islet cells.

islet

/ ˈaɪlɪt /

noun

1. a small island

Other Words From

• islet·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of islet¹

From the Middle French word islette, dating back to 1530–40. See isle, -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of islet¹

C16: from Old French islette; see isle

Example Sentences

Set aside as a natural wonder in 1936, Fuji-Hakone-Izu is home to steamy hot springs, rippling waterfalls, volcanic islets, and, of course, Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji.

From Outside Online

Madsen’s boat, the article said, had washed ashore on a remote section of Mili Atoll, a thin ring of coral islets in the Marshall Islands.

From Outside Online

We heard it again while snorkeling the colorful coral of Molokini islet with Redline Rafting Co.

From Washington Post

We zoomed by islets not much bigger than suburban homes, clumsily navigating a 13-mile stretch of open water and stopping frequently to read and reread our map.

From Outside Online

Near the southern town of Vila Franca do Campo, a submerged volcanic islet makes for great snorkeling.

From Outside Online

Jobs learned in 2003 that he had an extremely rare form of this cancer, an islet-cell neuroendocrine tumor.

From The Daily Beast

On a rocky islet in the centre of a fresh water pond two miles in circuit they commenced erecting a fort and store house.

From Project Gutenberg

Buache Island was visible as well as the small rocky islet between it and Cape Peron.

From Project Gutenberg

Off the entrance is a high rocky islet, the Nobby, within which the channel is shoal and dangerous to pass.

From Project Gutenberg

There is a reef that extends for nearly a mile and a half off the cape, having a rocky islet at its extremity.

From Project Gutenberg

Between the easternmost islet and the land, there is a strait of a league in width.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• archipelago
• enclave
• isle
• peninsula
• reef